EMPACT-SPC National 988 Follow-Up & Continuity of Care Project - The EMPACT-SPC National 988 Follow-Up & Continuity of Care Project will deliver systematic, 24-hour post-crisis follow-up to 988 Lifeline callers nationwide, reaching all 50 states, D.C., and U.S. territories, with enhanced local services in Maricopa County, Arizona. Over three years, the Project will screen and follow-up on 1,300 at-risk callers, facilitating referrals to ongoing care, designed to reduce suicide risk and mortality among 988 contacts. EMPACT-SPC, a 988 Lifeline-certified crisis call center and community behavioral health organization headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, operates four national backup subnetworks: National Backup Voice, National Backup Chat/Text, Spanish Chat, and Spanish Phone, handling approximately 10,000 crisis contacts monthly. Because systematic post-crisis follow-up remains inconsistent across the 988 network, particularly for backup-network callers unknown to their local affiliate, this Project builds the staffing and protocols needed to close that gap nationally. Its dual-track model provides every eligible caller, regardless of location, with individualized follow-up initiated within 24 hours and continuing for up to 90 days, using structured risk assessment, bilingual counselors, and a national referral network. Layered on top, a local enhancement track gives the approximately 5% of national backup contacts originating in Maricopa County direct warm referral into EMPACT-SPC's mobile crisis, outpatient, and residential treatment services and access to in-kind Peer Navigation support. The Project’s goal is to reduce suicide risk and mortality among individuals who contact 988 in suicidal or psychiatric crisis by providing structured, evidence-informed follow-up and improving connections to ongoing behavioral health services that support long-term recovery - advancing SAMHSA’s strategic priorities of expanding crisis intervention care and improving access to evidence-based treatment. Over the three-year project period, EMPACT-SPC will screen 1,300 individuals for suicide ideation during follow-up contact, refer 650 to crisis or mental health services, and support 190 in successfully accessing care after referral. The population of focus is 988 callers reaching EMPACT-SPC nationwide, including individuals in acute or subacute suicidal crisis, significant psychiatric distress, or co-occurring substance use emergencies, many from rural, resource-limited, or Spanish-speaking communities. Among callers who report demographics, nearly 60% are under age 30, 56% are female and 44% male, and leading presenting concerns are suicidal crisis (about 23%) and anxiety (about 21%); the population eligible for structured follow-up reflects a higher-acuity subset of this base.
